, 1887-11-08
THE CONDOR In CHILL.
A HERD OF CATTLE sTAMPEDED eY
THE BIG BIRDS.


The little village where 1 was staying in
Chill lay at the very base of the Andes,
with about n mile of plain stretching AWAY
to the ocean. At sunrise on the very
first morning l was in the place l was
awakened by a great commotion among
the populace. Springing from the palm
mattress on which l had been sleeping, |
looked out of the low window of my
apartment. Men, women and children
were running through the narrow streets
yelling wildly, and men on horseback
dashed away across the plain, in which di-
rection the excited mob of villagers was
tending. A roar as though a hurricane
were passing came up from the plain,
and there was a tremor in the earth
that alarmed me. l inquired what
the trouble was, and was told that it
was nothing but the condors, which
had come Down that morning in
large force frsm the mountains and were
even then engaged in selecting cattle
from the village herd. Looking across
the plain l discovered for the first time
that a great cloud of dust covered it for
a wide area, from which came the roar
and the tremor that had alarmed me.
The cloud and the roar and the tremor
were made by the herd dashing furiously
about on the plain, fleeing in terror be-
fore the pursuit of the condors. Quickly
saddling my horse, which was quartered
in the small inn yard, l dashed away
across the plain to enjoy a close view of
the disturbance and see what its outcome
would be, passing on my way jabbering
and shouting groups of villagers hurry
ing IN afoot TOWARD the flying cloud of
dust, in which were hidden the common
property of the place and its ravenous and
determined foe.
As | rode up to within a dozen rods of
IL
burst suddenly from the dense volume of
dust. o immense condors followed it,
and, swooping down upon it, tore at its
flesh with their great claws and pune
tured and lacerated it with their strong
beaks. The animals eyes were blood
Shot and were wild with terror. Its bel
lowings were terrible to hear. 1t dashed
its tail in agony against its torn and
bleeding sides, and rushed aimlessly in
all directions, while the huge vultures
beat against it and slashed and ripped it
with beak and claws. While l galloped
along and watched this sickening mutila-
ton of this helpless steer the herd dashed
on. and every condor that was following
it seemed to abandon it, and, whetted by
the scent of the blood that flowed from the
wounded steer, Joined in its mad pursuit.
Although the poor beast sped over the
ground like the fleetest racer, the attack
hA6 DIAR fN1Ih SACoO - 10 wv llN liz
their terrible beaks and talons. The herd,
free from the assaults of the condors,
came to a stop a mile or so away, and the
mounte herdsmen dashed back to the
scene l was watching. They carried
lasSos and spurred their horses after the
steer, which was now closely followed by
the whole field of vultures. The process
sion of following villagers had also ar
rived at the spot and, huddled about in
noisy groups, hurled many Spanish curses
at the bold flock of condors that was
butchering one of their best animals be-
fore their very eyes.
Following the beleaguered steer, and
circling around it as it dashed here and
there in its vain attempts to escape from
the torture to which its cruel pursuers
were subjecting it, the herdsrmen cast
their lariats again and again, and after
several attempts each lassoed n condor
Once the poor steer, as if looking to us for
assistance in his extremity, rushed in
lmong the horsemen and crowds of spec
tators. Regardless of our presence this
desperate condors chung to his bleeding
sides or dashed along in his wake. The
doomed animal was black with dust and
streaming with blood from a hundred
wounds. The excited crowd scattered be-
fore the dvance of the steer, and the
l~assoers, having strangied to death the
Condors they had captured, advanced
again to cast their ~lariats.
The steer circled around in n stumbling
and unsteady way. He carried his head
high, and once staggered and fell. With q
great effort he regained his feet and once
more moved toward the crow of specta-
tors. Bloody foam dropped in great masses
from his mouth. His loud cries of agony
had changed to husky means. His tongue,
red and swollen, hung at full length from
his mouth. AS he passed me n huge con-
dor dashed forward, seized the steers
tongue in its beak and wrenched it out by
the roots. The steer threw his head up
with a heartrending cry, and then l saw
two hideous, sightless cavities, dripping
blood, where his eyes had been plucked
from their sockets.
The spot where the steer had been
separated by the condors from the herd
was not more than an eighth of n mile
from the sea shore, and the animal had
been dashing madly about on the plain,
circling and zigZagging here and there
without drawing any nearer to the water.
Suddenly, tongueless and sightless, and
lettering and rapidly weakening under
his myriad wounds, he wheeled, turned
his head toward the ocean and, gathering
himself as If for a last desperate effort,
dashed madly away in that direction.
Plunging and Keeling onward and still
pursued by every ravenous %vulture, the
dying steer rushed straight for the surf.
He reached the margin of the sea and
fell dead with his head in the waves.
Instantly a score of beaks were tear
ing the dead animals flesh from his
bones. l spurred my horse forward
and galloped to the spot where the vul-
lures were stripping the carcass. When
l reached the beach the great birds rose
lazily, one after another, from the feast
and hoated upward in oblique circles
until they were mere specks against the
snowy submits of the Andes. A skeleton,
half submerged by the tide, marked
where the tortured steer had fallen.
When I returned across the plain vindic
tive villagers were kicking the three
lassoed condors about and stamping them
into the ground, kissing curses between
their teeth at every kick. In the distance
the lately disturbed herd was grazing
quietly, as if no condor had ever threat
ened the peace of its Dominica. Mott
in New York Mail and Express.
a Word Picture.
"My dear, can you change n ten for
mpSr asked tho wife of n DenuriOus huS-